Ohio spring 2026 turkey seasons proposed; new waterfowl zone map approved

6:00am Friday, August 22, 2025

The Ohio Wildlife Council received proposals for the spring 2026 wild turkey hunting dates Aug. 20, according to a news release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The council also voted to approve a new waterfowl hunting zone map for the 2026-30 seasons.

A complete list of proposed rule changes, including the spring wild turkey hunting dates, will be available at wildohio.gov on Monday, Aug. 25, according to the release. Anyone who would like to comment on Division of Wildlife (DOW) proposals may do so online at wildohio.gov between Monday, Aug. 25, and Wednesday, Sept. 24. The proposed rules will be voted on during the Ohio Wildlife Council’s meetingOct. 22, according to the release.

The proposed wild turkey hunting seasons include separate youth dates for the south and northeast zones. If approved, 2026 would mark the first year that the youth hunting season dates are divided.

The proposed spring 2026 wild turkey hunting season dates are as follows:

south zone youth—Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19
northeast zone youth—Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26
south zone—Saturday, April 25, to Sunday, May 24
northeast zone—Saturday, May 2, to Sunday, May 31

Ohio’s spring turkey hunting season is split into two zones to align with the timing of turkey nesting in those regions, according to the release. The south zone covers the majority of Ohio, comprising 83 counties. The northeast zone includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties.

Hunting hours during the youth weekends in both zones were proposed from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset. In the south and northeast zones, hunting hours for the first nine days of each season were proposed to be from 30 minutes before sunrise until noon, with hours for the remainder of the season from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.

Waterfowl zones approved

Ohio is divided into three zones that determine fall and winter waterfowl hunting regulations. During its Aug. 20 meeting, the Ohio Wildlife Council voted on new waterfowl hunting zones for the 2026-30 seasons. The new zones were proposed in April and amended in July, according to the release.

The recently approved Zones A, B, and C will take effect for the 2026-27 hunting season and have slightly different hunting dates. The new waterfowl hunting zones were created in response to waterfowl hunter surveys and within regulatory frameworks established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The current waterfowl zones remain in place for the upcoming 2025-26 duck and goose hunting seasons.

In the future zone map, Zone A falls in northwest Ohio, Zone B includes northeast Ohio and some areas in northwest Ohio, and Zone C covers southern counties and the remainder of the state. Hunters should note that, under the new rules, the waters of Lake Erie are part of Zone B, and the Zone A boundary extends 100 yards offshore into Lake Erie.

The Ohio Wildlife Council approves all DOW proposed rules and regulations, according to the release. Council meetings are open to the public. Individuals interested in providing comments are asked to call 614-265-6304 at least two days prior to the meeting to register. All comments are required to be 3 minutes or less.